Smoked Corn on the Cob with Earth Balance and Agave

A few years ago I had corn on the cob with honey butter and jalapeno and that inspired this dish. Since you never know how people will react to spice I decided to eliminate the jalapeno and to make up for that I added hickory smoke.

Smoked Corn on the Cob with Earth Balance and Agave
Serves 4

Ingredients:

½ cup hickory wood chips
4 ears of corn, cleaned
1 tablespoon Earth Balance
½ tablespoon amber agave
kosher salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

Soak the wood chips in water for at least 30 minutes and then drain.

Place the wood in the bottom of the smoker and put the tray on top of the chips. Put the corn on the tray and close the lid of the smoker. Turn the heat to high for 5 minutes to start the smoke. Then lower the heat to medium low for 30 minutes.

Combine the Earth Balance (EB), and agave and warm to melt the EB. I put mine in a metal bowl and sat it on the top the smoker to warm gently, but the microwave would also work.

After 30 minutes remove the corn to aluminum foil large enough to completely enclose the ear of corn. Distribute the EB and agave evenly over the ears. Add a little salt and pepper and close the foil. Be certain to roll the corn around so that all the sides are coated with the sweetened EB.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 145.46
Calories From Fat (20%) - 29.34

Total Fat - 3.32g
Saturated Fat - 0.83g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 29.23mg
Potassium - 371.81mg
Total Carbohydrates - 29.8g
Fiber - 3.67g
Sugar - 0.07g
Protein - 4.11g

Comments:

The smoke was more of an aroma than a flavor, but it worked. We all liked the sweetened EB. You could double the amount of EB and agave if you aren’t watching your fat as much as we are. The texture of the corn was perfect, it was tender and succulent. I was a little worried that the smoke would dry out the corn, but that didn't happen. This was definitely not your run of the mill corn on the cob. My husband described this as "corn from around a camp fire" and I think that gives everyone an idea of what this was like. It was a hit with everyone at dinner tonight.

Smoked Vegan Mozzarella Experiment

I was on the phone talking to my friend Alexandra today and we got on the topic of smoked foods. This led to smoked cheese, which meant I had to try it immediately. I have tried to make smoked cheese before using liquid smoke stirred into the liquid with less than stellar results. The liquid smoke caused the cheese to become an unappetizing beige color that I found unacceptable.

Since there was some vegan mozzarella in the refrigerator I thought why not toss it into the smoker and see what happens. I was expecting the cheese to melt again since I assumed the interior of the smoker would reach at least 185degrees long enough for the agar to melt. That is exactly what happened, the cheese melted but not completely and did solidify again. The resulting flavor reminded me very much of smoked dairy mozzarella. Here is what I did.

Smoked Vegan Mozzarella
Serves 10 (4 ounce servings)

Ingredients:

½ cup of wood chips, soaked in water for one hour
1 recipe of vegan mozzarella

Directions:

Drain the wood chips and place them in the bottom of your smoker. Put the mozzarella in a glass container and place in the smoker on top the tray. You don’t want it directly on the wood chips.

Put the lid on the smoker and heat on high for five minutes to get the wood smoldering. After 5 minutes turn the heat to medium low and cook for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the cheese to cool and refrigerate. The cheese will become firm again once it cools.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 170.76
Calories From Fat (15%) - 25.72

Total Fat - 2.95g
Saturated Fat - 0.42g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 452.35mg
Potassium - 571.46mg
Total Carbohydrates - 35.05g
Fiber - 3.49g
Sugar - 1.85g
Protein - 5.74g

Comments:

The cheese absorbed some of the smoky flavor, but it wasn’t overpowering. If you like a very smoky cheese leave it in the smoker for an addition 15 minutes. The exterior of the cheese became a light beige but the interior remained white. Overall I was quite pleased with how well this worked. Since I have smoked food three days in a row I think it is time to retire the smoker for a few weeks. I don’t want my husband to think that is all I do is smoke food.

Smoky Red Peppers Stuffed with Tofu Ricotta, Spinach and Pine Nuts

This dish came about because I had a little bit of leftover filling from making the stuffed eggplant this weekend and didn’t know what to do with it. When I saw the peppers in the refrigerator I knew they would be the perfect vessel to hold the filling. I used the smoker because I didn’t put it away from making the smoked mushrooms yesterday. You could just as easily bake this in a 350-degree oven. I included wilted spinach and golden raisins to give this dish a touch of southern Italy.

Smoky Red Peppers Stuffed with Tofu Ricotta, Spinach and Pine Nuts
Serves 2

Ingredients:

1/2 cup wood chips
2 medium red peppers (I used 1 purple and 1 red)
6 cups of baby spinach, raw
2 tablespoons of golden raisins
4 tablespoons of tofu, firm
½ tablespoon of raw cashews
½ garlic clove
1 tablespoon of pine nuts
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Soak your wood chips for at least an hour so that they are thoroughly saturated when you begin smoking.

Cut the peppers in half top to bottom. Remove the seeds and veins. If the peppers won’t sit upright make a tin foil snake to cradle the peppers in while they are being smoked.

Rough chop the baby spinach and sauté until it is wilted. Rough chop the golden raisins. You want each raisin to be cut once. Add the raisins to the spinach and move everything to wire sieve. Press down on the spinach and raisin mixture to remove as much water as possible. You can also squeeze it dry in your hands.

To make the filling, put the tofu, cashews and garlic into the food processor and process until it is smooth. Put the tofu mixture into a bowl. Add the pine nuts, and spinach and stir to thoroughly combine.

Place the filling evenly into the peppers.

Drain the wood chips and place them in the bottom of your smoker. Put the peppers (in the smoker tray on the rack) on top of the wood chips. Close the smoker and turn the heat on high for 5 minutes. After five minutes reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 20 minutes. Then you want to check the filling to see if it has firmed up a little (like a frittata). It will still be a soft (like a cheese) but will have become a cohesive mass.

Your peppers will give off a little liquid while cooking. Use your finger to keep the filling in the pepper and pour off the liquid while the peppers are still hot. I found they were cool enough to pick up in about five minutes. Cool the peppers to room temperature and refrigerate until you are ready to eat.

I served these cold on top of greens dressed with lemon. They would also be good warm or hot, but I wanted them to top a salad.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 297.95
Calories From Fat (42%) - 125.96

Total Fat - 15.05g
Saturated Fat - 1.43g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 234.12mg
Potassium - 1159.75mg
Total Carbohydrates - 24.38g
Fiber - 6.45g
Sugar - 13g
Protein - 23.27g

Comments:

This recipe turned out well. It was lightly smoky and flavorful. Golden raisins added a little sweetness in random bites. The cooking method kept the pepper crisp. The filling was rich and creamy and very much like cheese. Overall I am very pleased with this dish. I had it today for lunch on top of lettuce that was dressed with a little lemon juice and that acid helped to cut through the fat of the filling.

Whole Wheat Pizza with Smoked Mushrooms, Vegan Mozzarella and Topped with a Truffle Oil Dressed Arugula Salad with Lemon

My husband got another project off his desk today so I wanted to make him a special dinner to congratulate him. All Italians are fond of pizza, this Italian included. My husband has been married to me so long that he has also embraced pizza. I don’t make if very often because it is low on vegetables and we are trying to maximize our consumption of those for health purposes. Today was a celebratory day, so pizza seemed appropriate.

I hate making the same boring pizzas over and over again. But I hate making the same meals of any sort repetitively. The flavors of this pizza are unexpected but work well together. I think this pizza has flavor anyone would love (vegan or omni). If you are looking for a wow pizza, this unusual pizza may be for you.

Whole Wheat Pizza with Smoked Mushrooms, Vegan Mozzarella and Topped with a Truffle Oil Dressed Arugula Salad with Lemon
Serves 2

Ingredients:

¼ of the whole-wheat pizza dough
1 cup of smoked mushrooms
2 servings of vegan mozzarella, shredded
1 cup of arugula
1 teaspoon of truffle oil
approximately 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
lemon zest, to taste – optional but recommended

Directions:

Preheat your oven (preferably with a pizza stone) to 450 degrees.

Prepare and prebake the pizza according to the directions here.

Top the prebaked pizza crust with the smoked mushrooms and vegan mozzarella and bake until the cheese is melted. This should take about 8 minutes.

Toss the arugula with the truffle oil and place it on top the pizza. Zest the lemon over the pizza (if using). I added about ½ a lemon worth of zest. Squeeze a little lemon juice on the pizza and eat while still hot.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 569.9
Calories From Fat (19%) - 106.7

Total Fat - 14.27g
Saturated Fat - 1.3g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 588.11mg
Potassium - 702.9mg
Total Carbohydrates - 113.36g
Fiber - 12.33g
Sugar - 3.3g
Protein - 17.14g

Comments:

I loved the combination of flavors. The smokiness is subtle and the mushrooms are chewy. Crispness is added with the crust. Vegan mozzarella is warm and soft. Fresh arugula adds a crisp spicy/bitter flavor and well as cancer fighting nutrition. Lemon juice and zest helps to cut through the fattiness of the cheese and truffle oil. The aroma from the truffle oil is wonderful when it hits the hot pizza.

Overall, while this is not a traditional pizza I loved the flavor combination. My husband thinks this pizza is restaurant worthy. Since he is my biggest fan, but also my toughest critic, I take that as the supreme compliment.

Mixed Mushrooms with Cabernet Hickory Wood Smoke

The weather on the east coast is amazing today. With temperatures in the 70’s I have all the windows open and fresh air (or as fresh as city air can be) is blowing through the windows. Since the windows are open I decided to pull out the stovetop smoker and get some mushrooms smoked for the freezer, and pizza tonight for dinner.

If you don’t have a stovetop smoker, no worries, you can still make smoked mushrooms. Before I got my smoker, a wonderful present from my friend Louis (thank you Louis), I used to smoke food in my wok. It worked fine, but wasn’t as air tight so you absolutely need to have the windows open if you aren’t using a product made to seal in the smoke.

I used the dried gourmet mushroom blend from Costco to make our smoked mushrooms but you can use anything. Whenever I smoke food I always make a larger quantity than I need for one meal and keep it in the freezer for when I need a big flavor but don’t have time. It is a huge time saver, smoke once, and eat multiple times.

While you soak the dried mushrooms also soak the wood chips. I used a cabernet hickory chip I bought at Crate and Barrel but any wood chip will do. This is how it works.

Mixed Mushrooms with Cabernet Hickory Wood Smoke
Makes about 4 cups – 8 servings

Ingredients:

4 cups of dried mixed mushrooms
6 cups of water to rehydrate the mushrooms
1 handful of wood chips (about ½ cup)
2 cups of water to soak wood chips

Directions:

Combine the mushrooms and water and microwave for 3 minutes. Allow the mushrooms to sit in the water for at least 30 minutes, longer is better. I put a plate on top the mushrooms once the water is warm to keep them submerged in the liquid. By adding the plate you don’t need to stir the mixture.

While the mushrooms are soaking soak the wood chips in another bowl. They can soak for as long as the mushrooms.

Once the mushrooms are tender Squeeze them of their excess liquid and move them to a container to go into your smoker. Don’t throw away the mushroom soaking liquid it has a ton of flavor. I strain mine in a fine sieve lined with cheese to get any potential grit that has come off the mushrooms. If you don’t have cheesecloth line you sieve with a coffee filter, or use a paper towel. Any of the three methods works fine.

Drain the wood chips thoroughly and move them to the bottom of your smoker. Add the tray or cover with aluminum foil is using a wok. Place the drained mushrooms on top. I add back about ½ cup of the mushroom soaking liquid to try to keep the mushrooms as moist as possible. Put the lid on and turn the heat to high for five minutes. The wood chips should be smoking in five minutes, if not leave the fire on high until they begin to smoke, then reduce the fire to medium low and smoke the mushrooms for 45 minutes. They will be a little dry, but you don’t what them to return to their dehydrated state. If you want really moist mushrooms add more soaking liquid to the container. Taste the mushrooms to make certain they are smoky enough for you. When they are turn off the heat and let the mushrooms cool.

The size of the wood chip will influence how long it takes to start smoking. If you are unfamiliar with the chips you are using you can start the pan heating (without the mushrooms) and add the mushrooms once the chips begin to smoke. That method is more reliable if you are new to smoking food. You want the mushrooms to taste of smoke, but not to be all dried out.

When they are cool portion them into 1 cup measures and store them in the freezer until I need them.

Nutritional information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 30
Calories From Fat (0%) - 0

Total Fat - 0g
Saturated Fat - 0g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 8.89mg
Potassium - 2.96mg
Total Carbohydrates - 8g
Fiber - 1g
Sugar - 0g
Protein - 1g

Comments:

Once you have tried these you will find many ways to use them in your everyday cooking. Tonight I am making whole-wheat pizza with smoked mushrooms and vegan mozzarella topped with an arugula salad dressed with truffle oil. We are having a mushroom extravaganza tonight for dinner.

Please let me know if you are interested in more smoked recipes. I wanted to make certain people are interested in this method of food prep before I post too many smoked food ideas. Thanks!